Typical AEC projects consist of multiple phases. Stressful situations may arise while the project is in development. There may be an addition of stages to pursue clarity in such cases. Project scopes are set up to inform collaborators about who is dealing with which aspect of the development. How would stakeholders create a reference point for the particular set of components to be explicitly aligned according to a phase for the teams that are working on it? Also, to avoid any discrepancy, one needs to be sure of assigning the responsibility of handling that component.
A primary aspect of planBIM is to ready up a compatible approach towards bridging this gap between stakeholders. Scoper, which is the very first module amongst four others in planBIM, is pinned with the primary task of achieving the target of making things easier for coordination. It consists of options such as creating a Level of Detail (LOD) Matrix, generating reports with different file types and much more.
For instance, as discussed earlier, deploying responsibilities for the scope of work just as the project begins can avert unnecessary delays. This process can be quickly completed with planBIM Scoper as it would also define the roles that different companies would play in those particular scopes. The easy to use interface can also let these companies request customizable options for a role or scope designation, which is not present in the library.
Various companies assign their scope according to the software that is in use. For example, the company that would design steel structures would be using Tekla Structures as its goto software. Therefore, to avoid any compatibility issues with other companies about Tekla Structures, versions and usage of the software for BIM can be tagged in Scoper. Apart from this, roles can be defined for every project member specifically.
Level of Development has always been a source of increasing ambiguity amongst different organisations around the world. The term itself first came into use in 2008, by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). It then became a reference point for BIM users in many countries such as Australia, Canada, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Germany and France. Technically, BIM engineers across the globe tend to place LODs according to the phases, namely, LOD 100 for Conceptual, 200 for Detailed, 300 for Construction and 400 for As-built models. However, project designs undergo various revisions during construction. This practice of defining LODs beforehand creates unintentional discussion barriers amongst stakeholders. Therefore, assigning concrete LODs defeats the purpose of bringing in dynamic workflows.
LODs of different components being displayed with respect to the various phases of the project in the Model Progression Matrix
planBIM allows us to be informed about the design aspects of all possible LODs while placing them in construction phases according to our needs. The dilemma of finalised LODs is mellowed down to an extent as critical aspects of the particular designs can be updated simultaneously on the app due to the ease of access of all 3-D models in Scoper. Level of Development is definable as a combination of Level of Detail and Level of Information. The geometrical attributes of the component in the project define LOD. The non-graphical attributes and parameters define LOI. Another essential characteristic of a Model element is the Level of Accuracy, which comes into play for as-built assets. All these parameters are adjustable in the Model Progression Matrix, which would take into account all the different phases of the project and categorically place them as per the specific priorities of a project.
OmniClass® is a comprehensive classification system for the construction industry. OmniClass can be used for many applications, such as filing physical materials or organising project information. However, its primary application is to provide a classification structure for electronic databases and software, hence enriching the information used in those resources. Scoper LODs are classifiable between simple laymen type and OmniClass® type according to the requirements of the project.
Finally, Reports in Scoper would help in generating well designed detailed reports of the project for rolling out BIM Execution Plans (BEPs) to various stakeholders. Variable file types, page sizes and orientations, help in crafting presentable and concise reports. This report would generally consist of details related to the scope of the project, along with the roles of different companies that are involved. There will also be a section with all the definitions for different LODs, LOIs and LOAs. The report would conclude by specifying the LODs of various components related to the project.
Scoper has been up to date with all the latest LOD guidelines issued by the AIA, BIMForum and UK BIM standards. It will help BIM Managers, Project Owners and other stakeholders to be on the same page throughout a project. With smart features to define LOD, LOI and LOA, doing BIM on a project will never be the same again. Experience all this and more by signing up for a free trial of planBIM today!
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Source: PlanBIM